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Peter J. Harris, Poet and Author of The Black Man of Happiness: In Pursuit of My ‘Unalienable Right’ and "Bless The Ashes drops by to ask the question to get us all thinking about A Happy Black Man. As Pharrell’s “Happy” becomes an irresistible global soundtrack, President Obama pledges to be My Brother’s Keeper, and foundations invest millions of dollars into programs for Black men, The Black Man of Happiness: In Pursuit of My ‘Unalienable Right’ is a jazzy journal & unprecedented meditation that ranges in scope from Thomas Jefferson’s era to the Digital Age in search of the answer to the simple, startling question, What is a happy Black man? Powerful, poetic essays explore one man's journey from childhood in Southeast D.C. to adulthood as a nationally published writer, educator, and respected cultural worker in LA.
About The Author
The Black Man of Happiness Project crystallizes more than 30 years of artistic & cultural work exploring the lives of Black men, including the 2011 collaboration with my daughter, Adenike A. Harris, on her Creative Master’s Thesis: “Restorative Notions: Regaining My Voice, Regaining My Father: A Creative Womanist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse,” (Georgia State University). In her thesis, she and I write a candid, ethical, loving call-and-response dialogue tracing how we worked together to confront, survive, and transcend her rape.
“What is unleashed when we become eloquent about our pursuit of happiness? Let’s ask brothers and find out!”